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Friday, February 10, 2012

The amazing feats of Bottle Boy...

The Tour de France is arguably the pinnacle of the pro cycling calendar.
Elite riders from around the world work for months to get themselves into top shape,
hoping for a stage win or for a chance to ride in a breakaway. A few dream of
donning the famous yellow leader’s jersey worn by the likes of Eddy Merckx,
Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Lance Armstrong and most recently Cadel Evans.
Whole squads of riders sacrifice themselves so that their main man can wear the
maillot jaune down the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

This 21-day spectacle of endurance which brings the best of the
best in the cycling world together every July also draws a slew of unusual characters.
Fans drape themselves in their country’s flag and scream support for their
countrymen. Shirtless men with antlers on their heads chase riders up the
steepest roads in the Alps and Pyrenees. The devil (a.k.a. Didier ) even shows
up and urges the best on with his pitchfork. Thousands of people from all
around the world line the roads each and every day so they can get a glimpse of
their idols.

Attracted to the throngs of people are well
over one hundred advertisers in creatively decorated vehicles driving ahead of
the pro peloton. Companies spend hundreds of thousands of Euros for the chance
to throw samples of their products to the crowds lining the route each day.

This past summer, an enterprising newcomer to the Tour, CleanBottle, took a novel approach to grabbing air time. Entrepreneur Dave Mayer, working with two others, donned costumes
and ran the Alps as Bottle Boy. They were noticed. Over and over Phil Liggett
and Paul Sherwen, world famous Tour commentators, saw the 7’ bottle running and chatted about Mayer’s ingenious invention, a water bottle which unscrews at both
ends making it easier to clean. Because of the coverage, people all over the
world now recognize Bottle Boy.

Not that he was famous at the time of the race. The mascot got
more than his share of weird looks, especially when he was packed up in his
black bag. “Everyone who passed by was curious to find out if we were
transporting a body,” Mayer reported. Once the suit was out and put on, people
understood what was happening and looked at the group less suspiciously.

Prior to the Tour, Bottle Boy got a nice steam cleaning and stayed
fresh for all of two days in France before the rain arrived. Mayer said, “Moisture
and mascots do not get along particularly well and we had to improvise some
trash bag jackets to make it through the rainy first week and a half.” To
maintain his youthful glow, Bottle Boy had to have a 15-minute daily sprucing
up.

Over the course of the three-week event, Mr. Mayer personally ran
a total of about 10 miles in his suit, a real workout at altitude. Staying
hydrated was a challenge since drinking inside the Bottle Boy suit was
impossible. His and his helpers’ only hope was to drink three liters of water
before each run and hope that was enough. Mayer said he drank at least 100
liters of water directly tied to his running during the Tour.

Recently, Mayer appeared on Shark Tank and
won a major business victory. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks,
offered him $60,000 for an 8% stake in the company. Close friend, Bill Walton,
helped Mayer’s cause by putting in an appearance.

What are Bottle Boy’s plans
or the future? Not everything is clear, but he plans to visit the Tour again in
2012. Watch for him in July. (For a chance to win a Clean Bottle, read my review and enter.)